1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital camera in which the image information from an image pick-up means is stored in a recording medium, and particularly, to a digital camera appropriate for structuring a recycling system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Presently, a product providing system in which, by a mode of a rental use or sale, the camera is provided to the user, and it is recovered, recycled, and the photographed and developed film or a print obtained from the film is provided to the user, is spread. As a camera, for example, a lens-fitted film unit is widely used.
On the one hand, accompanied by a spread of a digital camera in which the image signal obtained from the image pick-up element to photograph a photographic field is processed, and the photographed image is converted into the digital type data and recorded, also relating to the digital camera, the same recovery and recycling system is proposed.
In the system in which the digital camera is provided to the user and the photographed camera is recovered and recycled, because the photographed image is stored in the camera as the digital data, its reading-out or erasing is easy, and there is an advantage that it is appropriate for the recycle in which the camera is repeatedly used. However, on the contrary to that, when the data is easily read out or erased by the user or the third party (another traders), the camera main body for the recycle use is not recovered, and the recycle itself can not be realized.
For example, when the third party who does not produce the camera by itself, and borrows the marketed recycled camera without notice and conducts unfairly the same service, appears, the recovery rate of the camera is lowered, and the normal recovery and the maintenance of recycling system are threatened, and the presentation of the photographic image service with a low cost and stable quality becomes difficult. Further, in the above unfair third party service, it is also anxious about that the high quality print service is not guaranteed. Further, in the case where the recycled camera is missed or stolen, when the stored image data is easily read or the camera can be freely repeatedly used after that, the reliability of the recovery and recycle system itself is lowered, and finally, the photographic image service with the low cost and stable quality can not be presented. Accordingly, in the recycle system, the increase of the recovery rate of the camera becomes a key for the supply of the low cost and stable service.
Accordingly, a digital camera and its production and recycling system in which it is made a high security structure in which the recorded data of the camera can not easily be read and erased, and the recovery rate of the camera is increased, and which is for providing the photographic image service in which the quality is stable, to the user, are proposed (for example, JPA-A-2000-228740).
When an outline of the recycle system is described, it is as follows. In the production system (manufacturer) who conducts the production of the camera, a password collation circuit is provided, and a digital camera in which the individually given password is stored in the memory of the camera main body is produced, and supplied to the user. The correspondence relationship data of the ID number proper to camera main body and the given password is stored in the manufacturer. The camera in which the user completed the photographing is recovered, and sent to the recycle system in which the service such as a print is conducted. In the recycle system, from the ID number written on the camera external packing, the password kept in the manufacturer is read out, and collated with the password stored in the camera main body. When the password is coincident, the read out of the photographed image data is permitted, and the service such as the print or data presentation is conducted. After that, the camera main body is sent to a production system again, and in the reproduction installation, after the inspection of the main body, and replacement of parts are conducted, a clear of the photographic information and the renewal of the password or ID information are conducted, and the reproduced camera is supplied to the user. This cycle is repeated and the recycle system is structured. The camera used in this system is structured in such a manner that the memory means to store the data can not be removed from the main body such as the built-in memory so that the photographic data can not easily be read out and erased.
As a matter of course, in the above structure, the re-production (recycle process) of the camera can not be conducted only after a process (data read-out and print process) in which, from the recovered photographed digital camera, the photographic image data is read out and print is conducted. Therefore, when it takes a long period of time in the password collation process to read out the data, or data read-out process, or the trouble is generated, the subsequent recycle process is delayed.
In the so-called lab in which the service by which the photographic data is read from the recovered camera, data processing is conducted, and the photographic image is printed on the printing paper and presented to the user, or the photographic image data itself is recorded in another recording medium and presented, is conducted, because the number of cameras to be processed becomes large, when the data read-out processing is delayed, the large number of cameras are accumulated for the waiting of processing. In such a case, the security of the position to store the cameras, or elongation of the processing line is necessary, and the cost of the whole recycle system is increased.
Even when the data read-out is delayed, when the camera is structured in such a manner that only the recycle of the camera main body can be separately conducted, the camera main body with a large volume is smoothly processed, and a surplus storage space or long process line is not necessary, and the increase of the cost can be prevented.
Accordingly, it is desirable in the efficiency that the data read-out and the print process, and recycle process can be carried out separately and independently. However, in the conventional structure, because the memory means in which the data is stored, can not be removed from the camera main body, it is impossible.